Andrew and Aaron Harrison: Great expectations times two

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The Harrisons — Aaron, left, and twin brother, Andrew — have the basketball world on the tip of their fingers. (Cody Duty/Chronicle)

By Angel Verdejo

Everything seems to be in place for Aaron and Andrew Harrison.

The twin brothers have dominated opponents for years now on the basketball court.

They’re regarded as the best at their position. Andrew is a 6-5, 210-pound point guard with a keen ability to handle the basketball and find the open man. Aaron, a 6-5, 205-pound shooting guard, can score from nearly anywhere on the court.

They’ve won not only across the country, but internationally as well. They’ll play their college basketball at powerhouse Kentucky next season and are penciled in as likely “one-and-done” players and future NBA lottery picks.

In a city known for its basketball, they are the next stars.

“It’s an honor really, because I know there’s a lot great players that came out of this area,” Aaron said. “It makes you want to live up to it – live up to what they’re saying about you.”

Familiar path

In terms of star power, the brothers follow a long line of Houston talent.

Cameron Ridley and Rasheed Sulaimon were McDonald’s All-Americans last year and now start at Texas and Duke, respectively. In the last 10 years, seven others have received the honor, including Gerald Green (2005), Daniel Gibson (2004) and Kendrick Perkins (2003).

“We’ve always had good players,” said former Houston Rocket John Lucas, who was hired by the NBA last year to oversee its Top 100 camp in addition to running his own, and works with upwards to 1,500 aspiring young talents yearly. “I think the teaching has gotten better from a basketball standpoint.

“There are more people that have been trained to be more knowledgeable in player development who are working with our kids at a younger age, and it’s helped that to be.”

Not everyone, however, has been the cream of the crop. The Harrisons are fifth and seventh nationally in ESPN’s top 100 rankings. They’re fourth and fifth according to Rivals.com.

The area’s last top-10 recruit is current Los Angeles Clipper DeAndre Jordan, who was eighth by Rivals in 2007. Green, who will participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday, was first in 2005. Ndudi Ebi and Perkins were fourth and sixth two years earlier.

Early signs

Aaron and Andrew Harrison have been on the national radar since middle school. In seventh grade, the two attended Lucas’ Southwest Invitational Camp. The marquee attendees in the backcourt at the time were Keith Frazier, who led Dallas Kimball to the Class 4A state championship last year, and Rodney Purvis, a freshman whose has started all but two games for N.C. State this season.

Separated to show their skills individually, each Harrison met the challenge.

“Aaron went up against one and dominated him,” said Jim Hicks, the editor and founder of RcsSports.com, a site for greater Houston basketball, and a member of the camp’s selection committee. “Andrew went up against him and dominated him. Aaron went up against the other one and dominated him.

“It was like, ‘Whoa.’ There were a lot of guys that flew in to see that, so then – from there – they lived up to the hype.”

That summer, the brothers led their seventh-grade AAU team, the Houston Defenders, to the eighth-grade national semifinals.

“At that moment, the ‘what-if’ factor was born,” said Hicks, who ranks Aaron and Andrew 1-2 in his Class of 2013 rankings.

But there are no guarantees.

“I want to be the best basketball player I can be, so hopefully – years from now – I’ll be in the NBA and be one of the better players in the NBA,” Andrew said. “That’s a dream that I strive for every day. Like anybody else who says they want to be a lawyer or something like that.

“It’s the same thing – following your dream.”

If the rise continues, one Harrison or both could find themselves in an NBA All-Star game. Or more.
“I’m hoping that we will have one day within this group a couple of guys that will be the face of the NBA,” Lucas said. “That’s my goal. I’m talking about the next LeBron James.”